In known protective equipment, such as goalie pads used for hockey, the goalie pads are made of leather and other fabric and are stuffed with deer hair which is known to provide a small amount of rebound when a hockey puck hits the goalie pad. This is a very costly and lengthy process to make and the finished pads are quite heavy for the goalie. A goalie pad made of deer hair may weigh up to 8 or 9 pounds.
As an alternative to deer hair pads, synthetic pads, such as one marketed under the name AEROFLEX, includes a series of horizontally extending foam layers of closed-cell polyethylene of about 1/4 inch thick which are glued one to the other so as to form a vertically extending pad comprised of a series of horizontally extending layers. The series of horizontally extending foam layers are capable of absorbing much more shock than a simple homogeneous layer of foam. Other synthetic pads have been marketed using homogeneous pieces of foam, either open- or closed-cell foam of thermoplastic or thermoset material where the direct physical properties of the material will determine the characteristics of the pads. Such a pad is marketed under the tradename D&R LASER. However, it has been found that open-cell foam material such as polyurethane, will absorb humidity and freeze when used for hockey equipment.